Newborn pigs usually remain with the sow for approximately twenty to thirty days, at which time each weighs approximately fifteen pounds.
The pigs are then taken from the sow, placed in community pens and fed a dry feed.
This weaning of the pigs and placing them in community pens causes the pigs to become stressed, and it is not unusual for 50% of them to have scours or diarrhea within two or three days after being placed in the pens.
Of the 50% which develop scours, it is not unusual for one fifth or 20% of the pigs with diarrhea to die, without treatment. Approximately 20% of the pigs with scours will recover without an appreciable loss of weight, but the other 60% of scoured pigs will lose a significant amount of weight through rapid dehydration, and this loss of weight must be made up through additional time and additional feed.
Obviously, there is a tremendous economic loss occasioned by the death of approximately ten percent of all weaned pigs, and a significant weight loss suffered by 30% of all weaned pigs.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel composition and method for reducing the incidence of scours in monogastric animals such as pigs, which is highly effective from the standpoint of almost completely preventing the occurrence of scours in newly weaned pigs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel composition and method for treating weaned pigs which develop scours, whereby they can be quickly returned to normal and without an appreciable weight loss.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a composition and method which is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
We have discovered that the aforementioned objects and advantages are achieved by feeding to monogastric animals such as pigs, a daily ration of pregelatinized starch in a paste form, containing about 5 grams of pregelatinized starch.